Tuam Stadium
DublinGalway v Donegal
DonegalGalway 1-18 – 0-4 Westmeath
SFC: Galway advance as Divilly impresses
Olivia Divilly scored 0-5 as Galway earned a spot in the quarter-finals after their first win of the TG4 All-Ireland Senior Championship against Westmeath in Tuam Stadium.
BY DARREN KELLY
The Kilkerrin/Clonberne forward also played a part in her sister Siobhan’s goal on 46 minutes that put this game beyond doubt.
Playing into the wind, Westmeath took the game to the hosts at the start with Kelly Boyce Jordan finding a gap only for an advantage not to accrue. At the other end, Ailish Morrissey got Galway off the mark on three minutes.
The visitors did get on par when Sarah Dillon converted two minutes later and when Galway fouled after the restart, the Westmeath centre forward did the necessary again to put them 0-2 to 0-1 ahead.
It was a positive start for Westmeath but they began to struggle with kick outs. Leanne Coen levelled again, 60 seconds later, before two points each for Tracey Leonard and Olivia Divilly gave Galway a four-point cushion.
Galway nearly put distance between them on 14 minutes with a four-player move leading to Morrissey’s shot being blocked by Aoife O’Donnell.
Leonard’s free on 25 minutes made it 0-7 to 0-2 before Dillon replied with a Westmeath free. Two more Divilly scores from play, either side of another Leonard placed ball, gave the home side the full benefit of the wind with a 0-10 to 0-3 lead.
Westmeath struggled to breakdown Galway’s defence after the restart as Leonard and Lynsey Noone stretched the margin. And on 41 minutes, substitute Roisin Leonard marked her return by getting the first of three points.
Olivia Divilly and Dillon traded scores before Morrissey added for Galway.
Siobhan Divilly reacted quickest when Olivia Divilly’s shot was blocked by O’Donnell to get the goal.
Roisin Leonard scored two more points as the respective managements emptied their benches.
Finally, Siobhan Divilly concluded Galway’s tally in added time.
WestmeathLeitrim v Roscommon
Provincial Championship Round Up
Antrim retained their Ulster Junior title with a narrow win over Fermanagh. There are new Ulster Intermediate champions as Tyrone had a fine win over Down. Leitrim retained their Connacht Intermediate title with a three point win over Roscommon while Kildare won the Leinster Intermediate Final with a six point win over Wexford.
Ulster Junior Football Final
Antrim 2-13 Fermanagh 1-15
A strong second half performance saw Antrim retain their Ulster Junior Football title with just one point to spare over Fermanagh at O’Neills Healy Park. Fermanagh were ahead by seven at the break 1-10 to 0-06 but goals in the second half from Caitlin Taggart and Orlaigh Prenter brought Antrim right back into the game.
Antrim kicked over the game’s opening score with 19 seconds gone on the clock. Fermanagh were ahead by six in the 20th minute but Antrim cut the gap to three soon after but were dealt a blow in the 25th minute when Blaithin Bogue goaled for Fermanagh.
Taggart got Antrim’s first goal in the 40th minute and then they took the lead for the first time since the opening seconds, when Prenter found the back of the net. Eimear Smyth was the game’s top scorer but she hit a penalty wide in the first half.
Ulster Intermediate Football Final
Down 1-10 Tyrone 2-15
Tyrone claimed the Ulster Intermediate title with an eight point win over the holders Down at O’Neills Healy Park. Tyrone dominated from start to finish. They were ahead by eight at half-time 1-09 to 1-01 and got the second goal right at the end.
The Red Hands kicked over two early points before Niamh O’Neill found the back of the net after putting the Down keeper Caroline Kennedy under pressure. They extended that lead to eight points in the 18th minute.
Down got a goal in the 20th minute when Sarah Doherty finished after the ball came off the post. Tyrone’s second goal at the end was similar. O’Neill finished the game with 1-4 to her name while Chloe Mc Caffrey kicked over six points.
Connacht Intermediate Football Final
Leitrim 1-14 Roscommon 0-14
A first half goal from Leah Fox proved decisive as Leitrim retained their Connacht title with a hard fought win over Roscommon in Tuam.
Roscommon made a good start to the game and opened up a four point lead after eight minute. Michelle Guckian kicked over Leitrim’s first point before Fox got the goal to draw them level. A point from Laura O’Dowd edged Leitrim ahead just before the break but Roscommon drew level.
Roscommon kicked over the opening point of the second half but Leitrim went back in front minutes later with points from Megan McGovern and Fox. With Guckian in fantastic form Leitrim opened up a five point lead. Roscommon cut the gap to two twice but it was Guckian that kicked over the game’s final point to give her side a three point win. She ended the game with 10 points to her name.
Leinster Intermediate Football Final
Kildare 3-07 Wexford 1-07
Kildare claimed the Leinster Intermediate title for the first time since 2016 after a fine win over Wexford at Netwatch Cullen Park in Carlow. Nessa Dooley, Grace Clifford and Lara Curren scored the goals for Sean Finnegan’s side. Tara Doyle grabbed the goal for Wexford.
Wexford’s Ellen O’Brien opened the scoring in the third minute but three minutes later Dooley drew Kildare level. In the 13th Dooley got her side’s first goal and a goal from Clifford in the 22nd minute helped Kildare to a five point lead at the break.
Doyle and Curran traded frees before Wexford’s Sarah Harding-Kenny was sin binned in the 38th minute. Despite being down a player Doyle scored from a free in the 46th minute to cut the gap to just one point but that was the closest they got to Kildare. Curran scored her side’s goal in the 55th minute before they lost Mia Doherty to a yellow card. Aoife Rattigan kicked over the final point as Kildare became Leinster Champions.
RoscommonGalway 1-12 – 1-8 Mayo
Connacht SFC: Galway crowned in Connacht Final
Galway have successfully retained the TG4 Connacht senior championship title following this four-point victory over Mayo at Tuam Stadium on Sunday.
by Darren Kelly
Substitute Lynsey Noone’s goal on 42 minutes proved crucial as it stretched the hosts’ advantage to seven points before Mayo rallied back into proceedings.
Noone’s goal was followed by top scorer Tracey Leonard from play to make it 1-10 to 1-5, before Michael Moyles’ Mayo were given a glimmer of hope when Éilis Ronayne and the returning Rachel Kearns set up Lisa Cafferky, who found the net.
It started Mayo’s best spell as Tamara O’Connor, Shauna Howley and Sinéad Cafferky brought the deficit back to two points with eight minutes remaining but that was as close as they got.
The Noone sisters were tremendous upon their second half introductions, with Lynsey having the biggest impact. She took Kate Slevin’s pass for another point before winning a free which Leonard converted.
The first chance came for Galway on six minutes when Nicola Ward fisted wide but after Aisling Tarpey was punished straight after for a slow kick-out, Leonard split the posts to get the hosts off the mark.
Ailish Morrissey got Galway’s second on 17 minutes to commence a purple patch that was followed by Andrea Trill (two) and Leonard.
Lara Finnegan and Leonard increased Galway’s lead to 0-7 to 0-0 but not before Mayo’s first threat when Sarah Mulvihill’s low strike shaved the post.
At the other end, Galway threatened with Trill’s shot going across goal. But eventually, the visitors got off the mark on 29 minutes when Howley tallied after Needham was brought down. Needham got her score before the break leaving Mayo 0-7 to 0-2 down at half-time.
Howley and Tara Needham registered for Mayo after the restart but Shauna Molloy and Leonard cancelled them out before another Howley free reduced the deficit to 0-9 to 0-5 on 41 minutes. But Noone’s goal after restored Galway’s cushion which proved enough at the finish.
Scorers – Galway: T Leonard 0-6 (3f), L Noone 1-1, A Trill 0-2, A Morrissey 0-1, L Finnegan 0-1, S Molloy 0-1.
Scorers – Mayo: S Howley 0-4 (4f), L Cafferky 1-0, C Needham 0-1, T Needham 0-1, T O’Connor 0-1, S Cafferky 0-1.
Galway: A Griffin; K Geraghty, S Ni Loingsigh, E Gavin; C Cooney, N Ward, S Molloy; A Davoren, L Ward; L Coen, T Leonard, L Finnegan; O Divilly, A Morrissey, a Trill.
Subs used: L Noone for Finnegan (38), H Noone for Cooney (38), E Noone for Morrissey (47), K Slevin for Trill (47), S Divilly for Davoren (52).
Mayo: A Tarpey; E Ronayne, D Caldwell, S Lally; C Needham, F McHale, K Sullivan; S Cafferky, A Geraghty; S Howley, T O’Connor, S Mulvihill; S Walsh, C Whyte, L Cafferky.
Subs used: T Needham for Mulvihill (35), R Kearns for Whyte (42), N McVann for O’Connor (54).
Referee: Gus Chapman (Sligo)
MayoKerry v Monaghan
MonaghanGalway v Mayo
Walsh and Cafferky net twice to fire Mayo into semis
Sinéad Walsh and Lisa Cafferky both scored two goals as Mayo earned their place in the semi-finals of the Lidl NFL after a 6-6 to 2-8 victory over rivals Galway at Tuam Stadium.
BY GERARD MULREANEY
The hosts were looking to bounce back from their opening round defeat in Donegal but it was Mayo who made it back-to-back wins with Ciara Whyte and Sinéad Cafferky also on target bringing their goals tally to 13 in two Division 1A games.
Mairéad Seoighe and Kate Slevin scored the goals for Galway but they suffered a heavy defeat.
Playing with the aid of a very strong breeze, Mayo got off to the perfect start and after just five minutes corner-forward Walsh beat Eimile Gavin to the ball, turned and scored low past Alannah Griffin in the Galway goal. Galway responded immediately, Seoighe muscled past Sherin El Massry to score an excellent goal with her left foot.
The sides then traded points, a free from Aoife O’Rourke for Galway and a fine score from Walsh, with the assistance of both Aoife Geraghty and Sarah Mulvihill in the build-up.
However, Mayo took the initiative in the eleventh minute when Whyte scored their second goal, as she palmed the ball into the net following a great pass from Mulvihill. And then just ahead of the water break Lisa Cafferky got on the end of a superb interchange between Walsh and Whyte to score another goal.
Galway had lots of possession after the concession of those two goals but some excellent defending from Eilis Ronayne, Sinéad Cafferky and Danielle Caldwell kept them at bay, with only an Ailbhe Davoren point to show for their efforts, as Mayo led by 3-3 to 1-3 at half-time.
Three goals in five second half minutes settled this game as Sinéad Cafferky, the superb Lisa Cafferky and Walsh scored goals in a dominant spell.
Galway battled well throughout but were no match for Mayo, however a late cameo from Slevin, who scored 1-4 in the second half, put a gloss on the score-line.